The England midfielder will get his first taste of the Merseyside derby following his £23million summer move to Liverpool from Southampton.

“Yes, it’s true, I was an Everton fan,” Lallana said.

“Growing up my dad used to support Everton in the Gary Lineker days, when they were doing well so that’s the reason I started following them. But when I was supporting them Everton always seemed to be fighting relegation. I seem to remember there were a lot of tears!

“It was always really tough for me to get to many of the games, as we didn’t live in the city. I went to two or three but not a derby. I know Everton have not won at Anfield for 15 years and hopefully we can keep that record intact and go on and get the win we need this time too.”

Lallana endured a difficult start to his Reds career as he damaged knee ligaments during the pre-season tour of America. But he’s now fully fit and ready to show why Brendan Rodgers was so keen to secure his services.

“It was quite innocuous really,” he said. “I was just doing a passing drill and over-extended my leg a little bit on the follow through and tweaked my ligament. It could have been 10-12 weeks, but after the scan I had great rehab.

"I was back here and had long hours to get fit, but it was worth it. I still feel I am edging towards my best, but knew it would take time with missing pre-season.”